Published by Campus Communications, Inc of Gainesville, Florida
We Inform. You Decide. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

VOLUME 103 ISSUE 27

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

More than 4,900 students vote in elections

By CAROLYN TILLO
Alligator Writer

Armed with fliers, stickers and a Tupac poster, Student
Government parties pushed their platforms on the first
day of SG elections Tuesday in a last-minute attempt to
garner extra votes.
Elections will continue today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Supervisor of Elections Ariana Alfonso said 4,928 stu-
dents voted Tuesday. She added that one group received
a voting violation for distributing fake "I Voted" stickers.
Alfonso will investigate the incident.
Unite Party President Joey Regalado said the Unite
Party had volunteers stationed all around campus in or-
der to cater to the hectic schedules of students.
Although the party had solid volunteer support, the
elections process is tough, he said.
"It's the best 48 hours of your life that you never want
.... to do again," Regalado said.
Unite Party spokesman Jason Yoepp said the the party
hopes to see a larger voter turnout than in past elections,
even though the number of voters is usually higher in the
spring.
"Even if it was 50 percent, we would argue that we'd
like to see more," Yoepp said.
Joshua Niederriter, an Orange and Blue Party candi-
date, said the party planted campaigners at places like the
UF Levin College of Law, where the Unite and Progress
parties had fewer campaigners.
Juliana Jimenez/ Alligator Staff Niederriter said campaigners were also in full force
Nina Martinez, 20, right, a political science junior and secretary for the Progress Party, hands out shirts to Lia Cary,
21, left, an anthropology and classics senior, and to Christina Iglesias, 20, an English junior, on Turlington Plaza. SEE ELECTIONS, PAGE 5

Plant distresses locals

* THEY FEAR THE NUCLEAR
PLANT WILL BE DANGEROUS.

By CJ PRUNER
Alligator Writer

Roughly five miles away from where
the Withlacoochie River and Barge Canal
kiss in southern Levy County lies a 5,100-
acre stretch that illustrates the natural mar-
riage of land and sky.
No steel beam, brick or piece of plywood
spoils the earth. There, only imagination
and curiosity stand guard.
But something big has been building for
the past few years on the barren lands -
controversy.
Since 2006, legislators and interest
groups have jousted over a $17 billion Prog-
ress Energy Florida nuclear plant in Levy
County and whether such an undertaking

* Florida's defense
stepped up its
game Saturday
against Kentucky,
and defensive
coordinator Dan
McCarney (right)
said a look at the
Tennessee film was
a big reason why.
See Story, Page 13.

is necessary, cost-efficient and conducive to
the well-being of the environment. In Au-
gust of 2009, Gov. Charlie Crist approved
the site plan.
Depending on who is speaking, the
plant, which will be located about eight
miles from PEF's Crys-
tal River 3 Nuclear Pow-
er Plant, will either act
as an energy savior or
a ticking time bomb for
the environment and
taxpayers.
Supporters argue
Crist that it will meet the en-
ergy needs for a state
which, according to PEF statistics, has seen
a 30 percent increase in energy needs over
the past 30 years.
PEF spokeswoman Suzanne Grant said
the benefits for the plant are numerous. It
SEE NUCLEAR, PAGE 4

Nelson votes against

public health option

By ROBERT HARRINGER
Alligator Contributing Writer

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and four
other Democrats dealt the proposed
public health care option a blow Tues-
day when they voted against an amend-
ment that would have included it.
After a summer of spirited town hall
meetings, Tuesday's Senate Finance
Committee debate advanced Congress
closer to a vote on legislation aimed to
reform the country's health care sys-

coverage of tonight's k
election, follow
@alligatorlive on Twitter '1 Got
beginning at 8:30 p.m.
An in-depth analysis of the results will
be posted at alligator.org/sgelections.

Former Gators
quarterback Danny
Wuerffel was selected
as this year's Gator
Growl host Tuesday.
He was also named
grand marshal of the
homecoming parade.
See Story, Page 3.

A bill approved by the Senate Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions and three bills approved
by the House included a public option,
but the chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.,
has been a vocal opponent to a govern-
ment-run plan.
Nelson, who voted with all of the
committee's Republicans to defeat the

SEE HEALTH, PAGE 5

Today

FORECAST
OPINIONS
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CROSSWORD
SPORTS

Partly
cloudy
84/57

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 U ALLIGATOR, 3

Wuerffel to host Gator Growl Oct. 16

Former Gators quarter-
back Danny Wuerffel will
host this year's Gator Growl,

LIZ.I

organizers announced Tues-
day.
The show doesn't usually

have a host, but bringing
Wuerffel was a way to fur-
ther the theme, Legends of

Harrison Diamond/ Alligator Staff
Former UF quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy and guided
the Gators to the school's first national title, speaks during the Celebration in the Swamp
pep rally on Jan. 11. Wuerffel will be hosting this year's Gator Growl on Oct. 16.

the Swamp, said Bryan Grif-
fin, the show's spokesman.
"We wanna convene both
past and present legends,"
Griffin said.
Wuerffel, who won the
Heisman Trophy in 1996,
won't be paid for his efforts.
He will be joined by co-
median Dana Carvey, band
O.A.R. and dance crew Jab-
bawockeez.
Carvey and O.A.R. will
be paid about $90,000 each
while Jabbawockeez will get
about $20,000.
Wuerffel will also be
named grand marshal of the
homecoming parade, which
means he will be in the lead
car, possibly with current
UF quarterback Tim Tebow,
Griffin said.
Wuerffel's similarities
with Tebow, the 2007 Heis-
man Trophy winner, are a
big reason the show decided
to ask him to host, Griffin
said.
Tickets for the Oct. 16
show are $15 for students,
faculty and staff. General ad-
mission tickets are $25. They
can be purchased online at
gatorgrowl.org.
THOMAS STEWART

Students

'walk' from

New York

* THEY WILL TRAVEL A
COLLECTIVE 1,000 MILES.

By ELIZABETH BEHRMAN
Alligator Contributing Writer
Tuesday afternoon marked the kickoff
of Healthy Gators' "virtual walk" from
New York City to Gainesville.
Six walking teams began their one-mile
trek on various routes through campus at
12:15 p.m. The group walks will take place
at the same time every Tuesday, Wednes-
day and Thursday.
On The goal of the "virtual
Campus tour" is to have walkers col-
lectively walk more than
1,000 miles this fall, the same distance
from New York City to Gainesville. Each
of the six different routes is about one mile
long and takes about 20 minutes to walk.
They begin at various locations on campus
like Library West, the Reitz Union colon-
nade and the cultural plaza.
"It's really not that long," said Jean
Starobin, one of the team leaders. "It's not
a huge time commitment."
The Walking Gators program was de-
signed by Healthy Gators to give students
and faculty the opportunity to get their
daily exercise while they take a break from
the stress of the day.
"I think it's just to promote health for
the university," Starobin said, "for faculty,
staff and students."

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Run date: Friday, October 16 alligator

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4, ALLIGATOR U WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

Drummer doubles as library employee

By LYNETTE ZILIO
Alligator Contributing Writer

Tucked away in the back of
a stage in front of a crowd of 200
screaming Beatles fans, all Chris
Hillman can hear is the sound of
his drums.
The stage is Hillman's haven, a
place where he can transform from
the redheaded graduate student
who works behind the informa-
tion desk at UF's Marston Science
Library to Ringo Starr, who he
imitates as the drummer of The
Shoddy Beatles, a local Beatles
cover band.
Hillman's love for The Beatles
began in 1995, when he was in the
fifth grade.
"The Beatles Anthology" had
made its way to music stores
across the nation, bringing about a
resurgence of Beatlemania.
"It was right at the age when
you start becoming aware of mu-
sic and developing a taste of mu-
sic. For whatever reason, I latched
onto The Beatles more so than ra-
dio music or anything like that,"
he said.
Every time he earned $20 from
mowing lawns, he'd ride his bi-
cycle a short distance to CD Ware-
house to pick up a new Beatles CD.
Soon, he had them all.
"It's weird because with the rest
of the band and almost every other
musician I know, their parents got
them into it," he explained. "And
not really me. I don't know what it
was. I just kind of latched onto it."
As a child, Hillman said he ex-
perimented with his mom's old
acoustic guitar. Having died when
he was 5 years old, she wasn't able
to pass on her musical talent. "I re-
ally wish I could say I remember
her playing music, but any memo-
ries I think I have are from people
describing her playing music or
from pictures of her playing with
her friends in the living room,"
he said, overcome with nostalgia.
"But that's got to be where my mu-
sical compulsion comes from."
When he was in eighth grade,
Hillman made his debut as a mem-
ber of Narwhal.
"It was a bunch of seniors in
high school and me in eighth
grade, playing the bass guitar. They
weren't cool. They were a bunch of
nerds in a metal band. They rode
on my bus. If seniors are riding the
bus, then they're already not cool,"
Hillman joked.
Barely moving one notch up in
the "cool" department, Hillman
joined a band in high school called
Approach.
"I was in some terrible named
bands," he joked.
Approach played at Battle of the
Bands two years in a row and took
home first place one of the years.
During band practices, Hill-
man would use his breaks as an
opportunity to sit down and mess
around with the drums. After a
couple of years, he bought a set.
Hillman, who has never taken a
formal music lesson, said he occa-
sionally resorts to YouTube when
he needs to learn a new technique.
Just two or three months into
college at UF, he responded to a
bulletin post on Gainesvillebands.

ana uoni-Lessan / Ailgaior ianrT
Chris Hillman, drummer for The Shoddy Beatles, sits at his drum set
in his apartment on Tuesday afternoon.

com that read, "Drummer needed
for band."
He played with the band for his
undergraduate career until they
split in early 2007 after two band
members moved away for gradu-
ate school and work.
At the same time, another band,
Morningbell, was looking for a
new drummer after theirs had
moved to Finland. The band had
been involved in what began as a
summer side project known as The
Shitty Beatles, a band dedicated
to strict interpretation of Beatles
songs.
Hillman was a huge Shitty
Beatles fan. He never missed a
show. So when the opportunity
to join their band came about, he
jumped at it.
Before Hillman joined Morn-
ingbell, the group had already
retired as The Shitty Beatles. But
after much persuading, Hillman
brought about the return of the
band, which changed its name to
avoid press problems.
"While we're rehearsing, we
refer to the 800-page songbook
filled with the music scores of
Beatles songs," he said. "If there's
something we don't remember, we
will consult the book. But I mean,
once you're on stage and you mess
something up, people are still
screaming the words and that's
cool."
According to Hillman, the band
slightly messes up the lyrics almost
every show. Although he doesn't
sing much as Ringo Starr, he's
made his fair share of mistakes.

"It's ironic because when I for-
get the words, there are 300 to 400
people singing it for me, helping
me out. I guess that's why were
called The Shitty Beatles," he
joked.
When not on stage, Hillman
can be found five days a week at
Marston Science Library, a job he's
held since 2006.
Every day, he rides his bicycle
to work ready to help students
with any information they might
need. As he scans the books that
are being checked out, he makes
sure to greet all his patrons.
"I'm not a super-quiet, bookish,
soft-spoken library person. I'm the
outspoken one, I guess, but every-
one here sort of has his or her own
personality. It's not your typical li-
brary filled with a bunch of shushy
librarians," he said. "I try to be
professional and polite here and
try to do my thing on stage."
In between helping students
and joking around at the library,
the 24-year-old UF graduate is
earning his master's degree from
Florida State University's online
graduate school program for infor-
mation science.
Standing behind the circula-
tion desk proudly dressed in his
navy blue Alphabet City T-shirt
and jeans, Hillman said he has no
intention of kicking music to the
curb once he becomes a librarian.
"A world without music
couldn't exist because people need
outlets of some kind," he said. "A
world without music would just
be terrible."

Construction will not

begin before 2016

NUCLEAR, from page 1

will provide energy for 35 counties, reduce carbon emissions
by more than 5 million tons a year and will potentially save
customers $1 billion in annual fuel costs.
The plant, she said, will also inject an array of jobs into the
local community. Currently, PEF projects 3,000 jobs for project
construction, 800 for full-time jobs and 1,200 for indirect jobs.
Grant insists costs will not fall on customers until the new
plant's two reactors are in service. Instead, she said, investors
and capital raised through campaigns will finance the plant.
Chelsea Carnes, a member of Sustainable Urban and Ru-
ral Florida, is focused not on the financial side but rather the
plant's effect on the environment.
Pointing to the potential collection of nuclear waste and bio-
hazards, she believes that the threat posed is much more seri-
ous than people may perceive.
"If you use any type of power, care about being informed
and care about your health, this is something you should be
passionate and worried about," said Carnes, a Gainesville na-
tive. "I don't want my parents to get thyroid cancer from these
poisons or my sister to be exposed when she gets pregnant."
Michael Canney, co-chairman of the Alachua County Green
Party, argued that PEF is deceiving citizens with misinforma-
tion and not making all the facts open for discussion.
Referring to nuclear energy as a "dead-end technology,"
Canney said that PEF's statistics do not tell the whole story.
Canney said the uranium mines, which are used to maintain
nuclear plants, are as harmful as carbon emission and favors
thermal energy, which he said is cleaner and more efficient.
Canney also argued that citizens weren't made aware of
the legislation's implications and that regulating bodies, such
as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, acted as cheerleaders
while representatives of cities and utility companies made be-
hind-the-scenes deals to lock up multi-million dollar contracts.
Canney said people who live within the 50-mile radius of
the plant may legally challenge the plant through petitions or
lawsuits. Much of Gainesville is between 40 and 50 miles of the
outer edges of the site.
"If people did the research and found out what this plant
is really all about, there would be an immediate uproar," he
said.
Plans to open the plant's first reactor, originally slated for
2016, have been pushed back by at least 20 months with no fi-
nalized date of completion.
Another issue is what will become of the nearby Crystal
River plant.
As outlined in the agreement between PEF and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection, two of the plant's
oldest coal units will be required to shut down once the Levy
County plant completes its first fuel cycle.
According to Grant, the units employ 85 people.
Since the plant is more than a decade away from comple-
tion, Grant said, it's too soon to determine the closure's impact
on employees.
Although it's too early to tell when the first construction
cranes will roll into south Levy County, one thing is certain -
the foundation for a heated battle between the plant's propo-
nents and opponents is solid.

"Copyrighted Material

Syndicated Content .

Available from Commercial News Providers"

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009 U ALLIGATOR, 5

SG elections continue today until 8 p.m.

Shands at UF

recognized for

stroke services

* IT IS ONE OF 15 CERTIFIED CENTERS IN FLORIDA.

By ALISON SCHWARTZ
Alligator Writer

When Justine Abrams started working as the stroke pro-
gram coordinator at Shands at UF in 2006, she said she had
about 530 patients that were discharged with a stroke di-
agnosis.
Last year, the center had more than 700 stroke patients.
The Agency for Health Care Administration designated
Shands at UF as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in early
September, recognizing its commitment to stroke care and
research.
"People in our community have state-of-the-art technol-
ogy right at their back door," Abram said.
Shands at UF is one of 15 AHCA-certified stroke centers
in the state and the only one in north central Florida.
This designation lasts two years, and at the end of the
time period the center will have to be recertified.
Florida is part of what Abram called the "stroke belt," a
region of 12 states with higher incidents of stroke and a 10
percent higher death rate than the rest of the country.
The designation also honors Shands at UF's use of ad-
vanced technology and therapeutics for acute stroke pa-
tients.
As a Comprehensive Stroke Center, neurosurgeons are
prepared to mechanically remove blood clots from the brain
in the event of a stroke, Abram said.
With stroke being the third-leading cause of death in
the nation, according to the American Stroke Association,
Abram sees the designation as a victory for Gainesville.
"I think the biggest benefit is to the patients," Abram
said. "It's the ability to offer better outcomes for patient's
life; it's the ability to offer this technology to our commu-
nity."

VOTING, from page 1

around residence halls, where
the party feels it has a strong
chance of winning Senate seats.
Orange and Blue Party policy
and communications director
Ben Cavataro said the party also
wants to target students who
haven't voted before, especially
freshmen.
"They pay money to Student
Government, but they don't feel
like they're getting enough out
of it, and Orange and Blue wants

to change that," Cavataro said.
Progress Party Secretary Nina
Martinez said long poll lines
might discourage students from
voting because they make it more
time-consuming and inacces-
sible. Martinez
.Student said she wishes
Government SG would have
online voting
available for students.
Progress Party campaign
manager Nick Mildebrath said
he anticipates some tight races
similar to last fall's election,
where a handful of votes made

the difference.
Mildebrath said he also thinks
the races will be close because
some districts only have candi-
dates from two parties running.
Matt Vanture, a junior build-
ing construction major, said he
made his decision after talking
to party volunteers handing out
fliers. He said he based his vote
on which party had the most
well-informed volunteers.
"Even though it's on a small,
school-wide level, it' important
to have your voice heard," Van-
ture said.

Nelson supported a 'less robust' alternative

HEALTH, from page 1

amendment in a 15-8 vote, had been quiet on the
issue until he wrote an editorial for USA Today be-
fore the vote.
He voiced his concern that health care reform
could come at a cost for seniors if cuts are made in
Medicare.
The country needs health care reform, Nelson
wrote, "but we can't reach these goals on the backs
of seniors."
After voting against the amendment, Nelson
voted in favor of another amendment sponsored
by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., which provided
for a less-robust public option plan that would ne-
gotiate rates and not be tied to Medicare.
Despite Nelson's support, the Schumer amend-
ment failed 10-13.
Bryan Griffin, chairman of the UF College Re-
publicans, said he isn't surprised by Nelson's
votes.
Griffin said Nelson needs to portray himself as
a moderate in order to win re-election.
"Nelson understands he represents a swing
state," he said.
Griffin, who represented the UF College Repub-
licans in a health care debate on campus last week,
said he agrees the country needs reform. However,

instead of a public option, he'd like the govern-
ment to supplement health by supporting private
charitable organizations.
But the public option isn't dead yet, according
to Florida College Democrats president and UF
College Democrats vice president
Ben Cavataro.
"I definitely supported the
Rockefeller proposal, but I'm glad
[Nelson] voted for the Schumer
amendment," said Cavataro, who
argued for the public option in
last week's debate.
Nelson "Nelson has shown that he'll
support a public option to com-
pete on a level playing field with private insurers
to make health care accessible to every American,"
he said.
Nearly two-thirds of the country backs a pro-
posal to establish a government insurance plan as
an alternative to private companies, according to
a New York Times/CBS News poll released last
week.
The fate of a public option now rests in the hands
of the majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.,
who will consolidate the Health, Education, Labor
and Pensions, and Finance committees' proposals
into one bill to be voted on by the full Senate.

Get Your Property on the Board
Don't let the competition pass you by!

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Sports
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

ALLIGATOR
www.alligatorSports.org

Tebow returns to complex for meeting

0 THE SENIOR UNDERWENT TESTS TUESDAY.

By MIKE McCALL
Alligator Staff Writer
mmccall@allgator org

Florida returned to normal practice Tuesday afternoon
after a day off due to the bye week, and while Tim Tebow
did not attend, he did return to the team complex for team
meetings.
Coach Urban Meyer said Tebow underwent a battery
of tests to judge his balance and memory, three days after
suffering a concussion.
Meyer sat in on the tests for 20 minutes and said he
even underwent some of the tests himself, which includ-
ed standing with his feet together, putting his hand on his
hips and raising one foot off the ground.
Tebow hasn't watched film of the Kentucky game yet
as part of his recovery, according to Meyer. The senior
isn't yet allowed to watch television or read to avoid too
much stimulation.
Meyer said Tebow's recovery will continue to be a
day-to-day conversation with the trainers.

DEFENSE STEPS UP: Florida's improved defensive play
against Kentucky was inspired by some extra motiva-
tion.
On the Sunday following the Gators' 23-13 win against
Tennessee, the defense gathered to watch film as a unit,
rather than separating into position groups, and the four
defensive coaches gave them a lesson based on their per-
formance against the Volunteers.
"We watched about 15 plays where we didn't play
Gators defense," defensive line coach Dan McCarney
said. "It's not to embarrass or humiliate guys, but this is
not what we're talking about, this is not what we build
here or what we want to see.
"Then we put on 20 or 25 good plays of the way it's
supposed to be done, from the same game. I think they
understood that, and they sure responded to it."
Florida held Kentucky to zero first downs and nega- Andrew Stanfill/ Alligator Staff
tive-1yardinthefirstquarterSaturday, amuch-improved UF defensive line coach Dan McCarney said the defense's suc-
stint compared to early in the UT game. cess against UK was aided by a film session after the UT game.

Situation only national news because it's No. 15

There's no news.
That can be a hard thing for
reporters including myself -
to hear, but that doesn't make it any
less true.
And that's the case right now with
the Tim Tebow situation.
Ever since Tebow's injury against
Kentucky, the media machine has been
in overdrive. To be sure, it was an ex-
tremely dramatic moment that carried
huge weight in terms of future impli-
cations, but things have gone too far.
Here's all you need to know: Tebow
was sacked, he hit his head on a line-
man's knee, he suffered a concussion
and he'll spend the next week or so
undergoing tests to see if he'll be able

Mike McCall
McCall-in' It
Like I See It
mmccall@alligator org

to play.
It's a wait-
and-see situation,
just as it would
be with anyone
else. But because
it's Tebow, it's
a we-can't-wait-
so-we're-going-
to-have-to-find-
someone-to-

blame situation.
Columnists, bloggers, radio person-
alities and television commentators
have all weighed in on the matter.
Did Urban Meyer leave Tebow in
too long? Did someone miss a block-
ing assignment? Did Tebow get sacked

because he was sick?
No. No. No. Shut up.
Tebow was in the game because he's
a football player, and football players
play football when there is football left
to be played. It was the third quarter,
and Florida hadn't looked good on of-
fense since the end of the first quarter.
The game was basically over, but
it wasn't out of hand. At that point, it
was still important to get the offense
some work.
If Tebow had been hurt early in the
game when the score was close, people
would be upset that Meyer made him
play with the flu.
There was no missed blocking as-
SEE MCCALL, PAGE 15

Returning

to field early

poses risks

By BOBBY CALLOVI
Alligator Staff Writer
bcallovi@alllgator org

It is still unsure how long Tim Tebow
will be out after suffering a concussion,
but if he tries to rush back to playing, he
could be recovering from the hit for a lot
longer than just a couple of days.
Although he might feel fine while play-
ing, Tebow could be more susceptible to
a long-lasting injury from a big hit to the
head if he tries to play before he should.
"Trying to push through a concussion
would be counterproductive," said for-
mer World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.
(WWE) wrestler Chris Nowinski, also a
founding member of the Sports Legacy
Institute, which studies the impact of
sports concussion. "Unfortunately, con-
cussions don't have the
same feedback system
as other injuries, so
you don't feel classic
pain like you do with a
sprained ankle or bro-
ken bone. And you don't
Nowinski realize how bad you are
hurting your brain when
you try to push through it.
"The brain is in a window of vulner-
ability and going back too soon can cause
some real severe problems."
The most extreme scenario would
be suffering second-impact syndrome,
which results in death. There have been
few documented cases of this, according
to Jason Mihalik, an athletic trainer from
the University of North Carolina and an
author of a study in the Journal of Ath-
letic Training on sports concussions.
More commonly though, a person who
plays too soon will worsen the symptoms
he already feels, or he could suffer anoth-
er concussion. Another issue for student-
athletes in particular is the risk of seri-
ously affecting their ability to concentrate
in classes.
The best way to prevent any further
harm from a concussion is to closely mon-

SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 15

E Terrell Owens felt the media was trying to get him to create controversy in U Reader Ben Volin continues to steamroll The Gators announced their
Buffalo, so his solution was to talk to the media about how he felt, thereby creat- the league, improving his record to 4-0 after 2009 fall exhibition schedule on
ing an issue. ... I know everybody was wishing for one more meaningless bowl setting a league record for points in a single Tuesday. UF will play five games,
game, so Yankee Stadium will host the Yankee Bowl starting in 2010 with the week. Check out our Web site for a full story beginning with a Oct. 14 matchup
No. 4 Big East team vs. the No. 7 Big 12 team. Can't wait for that one. on the latest action from our league. with Santa Fe College.

14, ALLIGATOR U WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009

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..1 L C14e~~*v( ,. c/ e e r

I t t c' I yC ,
ti v I v tit.

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For most teams, the noncon-
ference schedule is a time for
reserves to see some extensive
playing time.
But with three straight
sweeps against Southeastern
Conference opponents, No.
5 Florida (10-1, 4-0 SEC) has
found that conference play
might be the best part of the
season to plug in its bench.
This past weekend, the
Gators put in all of their avail-
able players, including middle
blocker Betsy Smith, outside
hitter Callie Rivers, setter Sun-
dai Weston, and defensive spe-
cialists Erin Fleming and Elissa
Hausmann.
"It's good because every-
one gets a chance to play, and
it's also good because it gives
the opponents a lot of different
looks to think about," Rivers
said.
On Friday, Rivers got her
first start of the season against
Mississippi State and did not
disappoint as she tallied nine
kills to go along with a .500 hit-
ting percentage. She did all that
playing on the right side, a po-
sition she has just started learn-
ing.
"She has only been playing
on the right side for about a
month, and we wish there was
a pause button for Callie so that
we could pause it and she could
get more experience, but unfor-

tunately you can't get that back
in terms of her career," coach
Mary Wise said.
But Friday's match was more
than just a return to the starting
lineup for Rivers; it also gave
Wise a chance to experiment
with a lot of different lineups
using the reserves. At one point
in the match, the Gators had
opposite hitters Colleen Ward,
Kristy Jaeckel, Lauren Bledsoe
and Callie Rivers on the court
at the same time.
"This team has some versa-
tility, which we've had Florida
teams in the past that haven't
had that," Wise said. "It's a
great opportunity for us to use
their talents."
The bench in collegiate vol-
leyball is even more important
since the libero was added.
Before it was implemented a
team was allowed to give out
12 scholarships, but after the
libero was added the number
of scholarships allotted to vol-
leyball programs did not go up,
forcing teams to rely heavily on
walk-ons and depth.
"Every team is a little bit un-
derhanded just by the numbers,
so you have to hope that the
depth will be good enough, so
when faced with adversity that
you can at least weather the
storm," she said.
Although the bench has not
seen a lot of playing time in big
matches yet, when that time
comes the experience the re-
serves are getting now will be
invaluable.
"Our philosophy has always
been work hard, your time
will come and when your time
comes, take full advantage of
it," Wise said.

IVIUld Irlpp/ 11HlllUg r adl I
UF's Callie Rivers got her first start of the season Friday night
against Mississippi State after moving to right side hitter.

Honesty with trainers necessary for proper evaluation

FOOTBALL, from page 13

itor the player. There are certain things
most training staffs will look for before al-
lowing the athlete to participate again.
"Typically, we want the athlete to be
symptom free at rest, so someone waking
up not performing an activity is symptom-
free. That would be at the very minimum,"
Mihalik said. "What we do here (UNC) is
we make sure the athlete is not only symp-
tom free at rest, but we also want to make
sure they are symptom free with exer-
tion."
The Florida staff has already taken some
of the right steps by doing preseason tests
to determine what the player is like at his
normal state, known as a baseline.
This can help verify when a player is
ready to return to the field.
Nowinski said it is important not to set
a timetable for the player's return some-
thing the Gators' staff hasn't done and
it is important for Tebow to be truthful to
the training staff about how he is feeling.
If Tebow is able to play at LSU on Oct.
10, he must continue to be honest with the
staff about how he feels otherwise it is dif-
ficult to tell if something is wrong.
"Unfortunately, there is no real stan-

dard," Mihalik said. "It is not like he
sprained a ligament and you can take an
MRI. There is nothing like that for a con-
cussion which is why it is such a big issue
to manage."

"Unfortunately, there is no real
standard. It is not like he sprained
a ligament and you can take an
MRI. There is nothing like that for a
concussion which is why it is such
a big issue to manage."
Jason Mihalik
Author of study on sports concussions

Unless Tebow is forgetting plays or
seems lost on the field, it will be hard for
anyone besides him to notice if he still has
symptoms from a concussion.
Tebow has played most of his career at
Florida hurt. In 2007, he played through a
shoulder injury that required pain-killing
shots.
The injury resurfaced in the season
opener in 2008. Tebow has also played
through a broken right hand, a sprained
ankle and a hyper-extended knee.
But in this case, it is not about playing

through pain.
UF coach Urban Meyer said he explained
that to Tebow, and he has handled it well.
Nowinski, whose wrestling career end-
ed because of a concussion, can offer some
tips for signs to look out for while playing
not fully healed.
"When my blood pressure raised along
with my heart rate, I would get throbbing
headaches. I would feel fatigued. I would
feel nauseous. My memory wasn't as good,
so when I was wrestling, I would forget
parts of matches that I would never use to
forget," Nowinski said.
Research has proven that people who
suffer a concussion are more likely to ex-
perience another especially if they return
too soon.
But for Nowinski, it isn't just the idea
that Tebow could suffer another concus-
sion that should make the training staff
cautious, it is how playing before he should
could affect him down the road.
"It is the idea that returning too soon
could lead to exacerbated symptoms,"
Nowinski said, "so he may find that if (he)
returns too soon he will be worried about
long-term damage to his brain and also,
creating what could have been a short in-
jury into one that costs him the season."

MIKE, from page 13

signment. Tebow had to get
rid of the ball or get out of
the way. UK defensive end
Taylor Wyndham was sup-
posed to come free on the
play, and I don't see why no
one will admit that now.
Players were forthcom-
ing with that after the game,
but offensive coordinator
Steve Addazio spent the bet-
ter part of his Monday chat
with reporters doing back-
flips and cartwheels to avoid
saying so.
Tebow got sacked be-
cause Wyndham was fast
and Tebow's reaction was
not. It had nothing to do
with his cold (believe me,
I've scoured the replay to
make sure he wasn't mid-
sneeze as Wyndam turned
the corner).
He got a concussion be-
cause Marcus Gilbert's knee
happened to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time.
These things happen ev-
ery week. Before the UF-UK
game, I watched Lakeland-
De La Salle on TV and ECU-
UCF on a crappy Internet
feed. Both of those games
had players carted off the
field, and the Gators' own
Moses Jenkins even wound
up in a neck brace with a
concussion after Saturday's
game.
But because this is Tebow,
everyone is going crazy. This
couldn't possibly happen
without something sinister
going on in the background,
could it?
It could, and it did.
Tebow got hurt, and as UK
coach Rich Brooks said, he's
pretty fortunate he doesn't
get hurt more considering
his playing style.
I'm not saying Florida
fans shouldn't be worried.
In fact, I don't buy all this
talk that the Gators are still
the best in the Southeastern
Conference with John Brant-
ley at quarterback.
We haven't seen him do
anything yet, and the offense
would be pretty different
without Tebow's presence
and with Brantley throwing
to an unproven receiving
corps.
This whole thing reminds
me of the witch hunt at SEC
Media Days to find the coach
who didn't vote Tebow onto
the all-conference preseason
team.
That was a great distrac-
tion for a few days, and this
story is just a way for every-
one to entertain themselves
during the bye week.